diff --git a/review/persona.go b/review/persona.go
index 0f7f141..d697927 100644
--- a/review/persona.go
+++ b/review/persona.go
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ package review
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"context"
 	"embed"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"unicode/utf8"
@@ -28,6 +30,9 @@ const MaxYAMLDepth = 20
 // This prevents DoS via wide-but-shallow structures that bypass depth limits.
 const MaxYAMLNodes = 1000
 
+// RepoPersonasPath is the path within a repository where custom personas are stored.
+const RepoPersonasPath = ".review-bot/personas"
+
 // Persona defines a specialized review role with focused expertise.
 type Persona struct {
 	Name         string   `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
@@ -48,6 +53,20 @@ type Severity struct {
 	Nit   string `json:"nit" yaml:"nit"`
 }
 
+// RepoContentFetcher is an interface for fetching file content from a repository.
+// This allows LoadRepoPersonas to work with any client that can list and fetch files.
+type RepoContentFetcher interface {
+	ListContents(ctx context.Context, owner, repo, path string) ([]ContentEntry, error)
+	GetFileContent(ctx context.Context, owner, repo, filepath string) (string, error)
+}
+
+// ContentEntry represents a file or directory entry (mirrors gitea.ContentEntry).
+type ContentEntry struct {
+	Name string `json:"name"`
+	Path string `json:"path"`
+	Type string `json:"type"` // "file" or "dir"
+}
+
 // LoadPersona loads a persona from a JSON or YAML file path.
 // Format is detected by file extension: .yaml/.yml for YAML, .json or other for JSON.
 // Files larger than MaxPersonaFileSize are rejected.
@@ -130,6 +149,92 @@ func ListBuiltinPersonas() []string {
 	return names
 }
 
+// LoadRepoPersonas loads custom personas from a repository's .review-bot/personas/ directory.
+// Returns an empty map if the directory doesn't exist or is empty.
+// Repo personas take precedence over built-in personas with the same name.
+func LoadRepoPersonas(ctx context.Context, client RepoContentFetcher, owner, repo string) (map[string]*Persona, error) {
+	personas := make(map[string]*Persona)
+
+	entries, err := client.ListContents(ctx, owner, repo, RepoPersonasPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		// Directory doesn't exist — not an error, just no custom personas
+		return personas, nil
+	}
+
+	for _, entry := range entries {
+		if entry.Type != "file" {
+			continue
+		}
+		// Only load YAML files
+		ext := strings.ToLower(filepath.Ext(entry.Name))
+		if ext != ".yaml" && ext != ".yml" {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		content, err := client.GetFileContent(ctx, owner, repo, entry.Path)
+		if err != nil {
+			// Log but don't fail — one bad persona shouldn't break the whole review
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Validate file size
+		if len(content) > MaxPersonaFileSize {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		persona, err := parsePersona([]byte(content), "repo:"+entry.Path)
+		if err != nil {
+			// Log but don't fail
+			continue
+		}
+
+		personas[persona.Name] = persona
+	}
+
+	return personas, nil
+}
+
+// LoadPersonaWithFallback loads a persona by name, checking the repo first, then built-ins.
+// This is the primary entry point for loading personas during a review.
+func LoadPersonaWithFallback(ctx context.Context, client RepoContentFetcher, owner, repo, name string) (*Persona, error) {
+	// Try repo personas first
+	repoPersonas, err := LoadRepoPersonas(ctx, client, owner, repo)
+	if err == nil {
+		if p, ok := repoPersonas[name]; ok {
+			return p, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Fall back to built-in
+	return LoadBuiltinPersona(name)
+}
+
+// ListAllPersonas returns a merged list of available personas (repo + built-in).
+// Repo personas take precedence over built-ins with the same name.
+func ListAllPersonas(ctx context.Context, client RepoContentFetcher, owner, repo string) []string {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+
+	// Built-ins first
+	for _, name := range ListBuiltinPersonas() {
+		seen[name] = true
+	}
+
+	// Repo personas override
+	repoPersonas, err := LoadRepoPersonas(ctx, client, owner, repo)
+	if err == nil {
+		for name := range repoPersonas {
+			seen[name] = true
+		}
+	}
+
+	names := make([]string, 0, len(seen))
+	for name := range seen {
+		names = append(names, name)
+	}
+	sort.Strings(names)
+	return names
+}
+
 // parsePersona parses persona data from JSON or YAML format.
 // Format is detected by the source file extension.
 func parsePersona(data []byte, source string) (*Persona, error) {
diff --git a/review/persona_test.go b/review/persona_test.go
index b90eae7..5958ea4 100644
--- a/review/persona_test.go
+++ b/review/persona_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package review
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -776,3 +777,242 @@ identity: test identity
 		t.Errorf("Name = %q, want %q", p.Name, "test")
 	}
 }
+
+// MockRepoFetcher is a mock implementation of RepoContentFetcher for testing.
+type MockRepoFetcher struct {
+	Contents map[string][]ContentEntry // path -> entries
+	Files    map[string]string         // path -> content
+}
+
+func (m *MockRepoFetcher) ListContents(ctx context.Context, owner, repo, path string) ([]ContentEntry, error) {
+	key := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", owner, repo, path)
+	entries, ok := m.Contents[key]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("path not found: %s", path)
+	}
+	return entries, nil
+}
+
+func (m *MockRepoFetcher) GetFileContent(ctx context.Context, owner, repo, filepath string) (string, error) {
+	key := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", owner, repo, filepath)
+	content, ok := m.Files[key]
+	if !ok {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("file not found: %s", filepath)
+	}
+	return content, nil
+}
+
+func TestLoadRepoPersonas(t *testing.T) {
+	validPersona := `name: custom-security
+display_name: Custom Security
+identity: |
+  You are a custom security reviewer.
+focus:
+  - SQL injection
+  - XSS attacks
+ignore:
+  - Code style
+severity:
+  major: Critical vulnerabilities
+  minor: Potential issues
+  nit: Suggestions
+`
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		fetcher   *MockRepoFetcher
+		wantCount int
+		wantNames []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "no personas directory",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{},
+				Files:    map[string]string{},
+			},
+			wantCount: 0,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "empty personas directory",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas": {},
+				},
+				Files: map[string]string{},
+			},
+			wantCount: 0,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "one valid persona",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas": {
+						{Name: "custom-security.yaml", Path: ".review-bot/personas/custom-security.yaml", Type: "file"},
+					},
+				},
+				Files: map[string]string{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas/custom-security.yaml": validPersona,
+				},
+			},
+			wantCount: 1,
+			wantNames: []string{"custom-security"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "skip non-yaml files",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas": {
+						{Name: "custom-security.yaml", Path: ".review-bot/personas/custom-security.yaml", Type: "file"},
+						{Name: "readme.md", Path: ".review-bot/personas/readme.md", Type: "file"},
+						{Name: "subdir", Path: ".review-bot/personas/subdir", Type: "dir"},
+					},
+				},
+				Files: map[string]string{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas/custom-security.yaml": validPersona,
+				},
+			},
+			wantCount: 1,
+			wantNames: []string{"custom-security"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ctx := context.Background()
+			personas, err := LoadRepoPersonas(ctx, tt.fetcher, "owner", "repo")
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+			}
+			if len(personas) != tt.wantCount {
+				t.Errorf("got %d personas, want %d", len(personas), tt.wantCount)
+			}
+			for _, name := range tt.wantNames {
+				if _, ok := personas[name]; !ok {
+					t.Errorf("missing expected persona %q", name)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadPersonaWithFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	customSecurity := `name: security
+display_name: Custom Security Override
+identity: |
+  Custom security reviewer for this repo.
+focus:
+  - Repo-specific security
+ignore:
+  - General stuff
+severity:
+  major: Critical
+  minor: Warning
+  nit: Info
+`
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name            string
+		fetcher         *MockRepoFetcher
+		personaName     string
+		wantDisplayName string
+		wantErr         bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "repo persona overrides builtin",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas": {
+						{Name: "security.yaml", Path: ".review-bot/personas/security.yaml", Type: "file"},
+					},
+				},
+				Files: map[string]string{
+					"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas/security.yaml": customSecurity,
+				},
+			},
+			personaName:     "security",
+			wantDisplayName: "Custom Security Override",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "fallback to builtin when repo has no override",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{},
+				Files:    map[string]string{},
+			},
+			personaName:     "security",
+			wantDisplayName: "Security Specialist",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "unknown persona",
+			fetcher: &MockRepoFetcher{
+				Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{},
+				Files:    map[string]string{},
+			},
+			personaName: "nonexistent",
+			wantErr:     true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ctx := context.Background()
+			p, err := LoadPersonaWithFallback(ctx, tt.fetcher, "owner", "repo", tt.personaName)
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				if err == nil {
+					t.Error("expected error, got nil")
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+			}
+			if p.DisplayName != tt.wantDisplayName {
+				t.Errorf("DisplayName = %q, want %q", p.DisplayName, tt.wantDisplayName)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestListAllPersonas(t *testing.T) {
+	customPersona := `name: repo-specific
+display_name: Repo Specific
+identity: A repo-specific reviewer.
+focus: []
+ignore: []
+severity:
+  major: Major
+  minor: Minor
+  nit: Nit
+`
+
+	fetcher := &MockRepoFetcher{
+		Contents: map[string][]ContentEntry{
+			"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas": {
+				{Name: "repo-specific.yaml", Path: ".review-bot/personas/repo-specific.yaml", Type: "file"},
+			},
+		},
+		Files: map[string]string{
+			"owner/repo/.review-bot/personas/repo-specific.yaml": customPersona,
+		},
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	names := ListAllPersonas(ctx, fetcher, "owner", "repo")
+
+	// Should include both built-ins and repo-specific
+	builtins := ListBuiltinPersonas()
+	if len(names) <= len(builtins) {
+		t.Error("expected more personas than just built-ins")
+	}
+
+	// Check repo-specific is included
+	found := false
+	for _, name := range names {
+		if name == "repo-specific" {
+			found = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !found {
+		t.Error("repo-specific persona not found in list")
+	}
+}